Device for holding and delivering small articles, such as pins, paper-clips, &amp;c.



D. G. BUTTS.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES SUCH AS IINSfPAPBR CLIPS, 6w.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 7, 1912.

1,041,016. Patented 001;. 15, 1912.

wi/lmmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL G. BUTTS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JULIUS D. 'ISCI-IOPIK, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES, SUCH AS PINS, PAPER-CLIPS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

Application filed May 7, 1912. Serial No. 695,751.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL G. Burrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding and Delivering Small Articles, such as Pins, Paper-Clips, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to devices for holding pins, paper clips, etc., and delivering them as needed.

It consists in a device wherein the articles are held in a suitable container or reservoir in a tangled mass from which they may be separated a few at a time and delivered by gravity into a tray or trough, from which they may be readily removed, as desired.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be now described and the particular features of novelty pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the device; Fig. 2 is a sectional View in a vertical plane; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the plate upon which the holder rests; Fig. 4; is a dctail section showing one of the clamps.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

Referring to the drawings the letter A indicates the base of the device formed of any suitable material, preferably glass. The base is preferably provided with a curved or circular wall having an opening a at the front. Through this opening passes an inclined chute a upon which the articles drop from the hopper. and down which they feed by gravity, into a depression a at the front. A plate B, also of glass, rests upon the wall of the base A, said plate being preferably circular and provided with a eircular hearing or seat 7) near its edge, in which the lower edge of the container or magazine D rests, so as to be free to rotate on the plate. The plate B is formed with an opening 7), preferably triangular in shape, through which the articles may drop from the magazine to the delivery chute a. The plate and magazine are both preferably held in place upon the base A by clips a, as shown in Fig. 4, or in any other suitable manner whereby a relative rotation or movement may take place. The magazine D for holding the articles is also made of glass and is preferably dome-shaped with an outwardly extending flange (Z at the lower edge adapted to seat in the bearing 6 where it will be held by the inwardly extending ends of the clips in such manner that it is free to rotate but cannot be displaced or removed without first releasing the clips. The plate 13 is preferably formed with annular projections or flanges Z), 5 on the outer and inner sides of the bearing b, the flange 6 serving to protect the edge of the magazine and support the clips above the flange of the magazine and the flange b serving to prevent the entry of the articles in the hopper into the hopper supporting bearing.

Inasmuch as it is one of the objects of the invention to provide a device in which a few articles, pins for instance, shall be exposed in position so that they may be gras 'ied individually for use, provision is made for eifectively separating such articles individually or a few at a time from the mass in the reservoir. This result is most conveniently and e'lfectix'ely accomplished by providing a means whereby the mass in the reservoir will turn with the reservoir so that articles at the bottom of the mass may drop throi'lgh the discharge opening in the plate. Obviously, the means employed must be such as to reduce to a minimum the liability of the articles jamming, and thereby locking the reservoir against movement, or being themselves bent or injured. The desired results are best attained by a frictionally operated stirrer or agitator within the magazine, conveniently formed by an inverted U-shaped strip of resilient material E, preferably metal, fitting within the reservoir. The legs 6, e, of the stirrer bear against the inner side of the reservoir and ordinarily rotate therewith, but should the mass of pins jam, then the reservoir may turn independently and the direction of rotation be reversed or a back and forth motion imparted to it until the jammed article is dislodged and drops through the opening and the mass will again rotate with the reservoir and stirrer.

The reservoir having been filled with loose pins, clips or other articles, it is placed upon the plate and the clips applied to hold the parts in proper relation. l Vhen it is desired to supply articles to the tray or trough, the reservoir is rotated or given a slight turn back and forth. As the mass of ar ticles moves with the reservoir, the articles will be moved over the opening in the fixed plate and a few will be separated from the mass and drop down upon the delivery chute, passing thence into the tray. If the articles become so jammed in the delivery opening as to prevent them from turning with the reservoir, the reservoir is still free to turn independently and the clogging or jamming will be quickly relieved and feeding again take place, as before, it the reservoir be given a few quick movements in one direction or the other.

It will be seen that the device is cheap to make, simple, and not liable to get out of order. It provides a means whereby a considerable reserve stock is always available and the articles are presented for use individually or so separated that they may be easily picked up one at a time, a convenience which will be appreciated by all users of such articles.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a device such as described, the combination of the reservoir, of a bot-tom closure therefor having a discharge opening therein, said reservoir and closure being movable relatively to each other, and means for permitting the mass of articles in the reservoir to remain stationary relatively to the moving part or to partake of the movement of such part, to eitect the discharge of the articles through the opening.

2. In a device such as described, the combination with a base provided with a receiving tray and feed chute, a bottom plate or closure for a reservoir having a feed opening carried by said base, a reservoir resting on said plate and movable relatively thereto, and means within the reservoir for causing the mass of articles in the reservoir to move with the reservoir, where. by the articles will be fed through the feed opening and drop by gravity upon the chute.

3. In a device such as described, the combination with a base having a delivery chute, a plate carried by said base, and having a feed opening therein, a reservoir for holding the articles seating on said plate and movable relatively thereto, means tor holding the reservoir to its seat upon the plate, and a spring holder fitting trictionally within the reservoir for causing the articles to partake of the movement of the reservoir.

4. In a device for delivering small metal articles in position to be picked up individually, a base having an article receiving tray, a reservoir mounted on the base above the tray and having a relatively small bottom discharge opening, and a i'rictionally driven stirrer within the reservoir whereby the mass of articles in the reservoir will be moved past the discharge opening.

5. In a device for delivering small metal articles in position to be picked up individually, a base having an article receiving tray, a reservoir mounted to rotate on the base above the tray and having a bottom discharge opening, and clips for retaining the reservoir in posit-ion.

6. In a device for delivering small metal articles in position to be picked up individually, a base having an article receiving tray, a transparent reservoir having a bottom flange mounted to rotate on the base above the tray and having a bottom discharge opening, and clips on the base extending over the bottom flange on the reservoir.

DANIEL Gr. BUTTS.

l/Vitnesses PHILIP S. Gmmnn. A. H. BITTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). G. i 

